******THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS SPECULATION BASED ON SPOILERS FOR THE END OF GILMORE GIRLS, SEASON 6. DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE SPOILED*****
A Season 7 Manifesto
With the knowledge that episode 6.22 ends with Lorelai in Christopher's bed, and the possibility that the Showrunners are negotiating for two more seasons of Gilmore Girls, we are resigned to the possibility that at least part of Season 7 may very well center on Lorelai attempting a romantic relationship with Christopher. We are willing to grit our teeth and hang on white-knuckled as Lorepher plays out to its inevitable ending, but in return we have the following demands:
The “romance” should be shown to be a ticking time-bomb almost from the moment it begins. We have five-and-a-half seasons’ worth of textual evidence that Christopher the person is a feckless, immature (albeit charming and occasionally well-meaning) Peter Pan, and that Christopher the character is no more than a plot device in the narrative development of Lorelai (and, by extension, the Lorelai/Luke relationship). Any more than two episodes in which Lorelai is unproblematically happy with Christopher or considers him “the One” will be unbearable, more than four will be unacceptable.
Any L/C action must be balanced with angst-ridden L/L scenes making it clear that Lorelai is not over Luke, and that these two are still in love with and meant for each other (staring at each other through the diner window would be a good start; an accidental midnight meeting at the gazebo would be better). While we would like to ask that each episode in which Lorelai and Christopher are together end in such a scene, we are neither greedy nor naïve. We will accept a ratio of two L/L scenes for every three episodes.
The beginning of any L/C story should include at least one scene each in which Rory and Emily react to the relationship with confusion and concern. The gist of at least one of these scenes should be the irony that Lorelai has waited until her daughter is grown to make a relationship with Christopher and his other daughter. We are not, however, in favor of constant haranguing by Emily or Rory, nor do we want to see the Townies replace Lorelai’s pink ribbon with a scarlet “A.” We well remember the scene from High Fidelity in which Joan Cusack tells John Cusack to stop pestering his ex-girlfriend and her new man, warning that constant abuse will just make the ex and the new man a tighter unit. There should be no “you and me against the world” overtones to the L/C story.
We demand one gut-wrenching, cathartic scene in which Luke reacts to the L/C relationship to Lorelai’s face. While a rant would be nice, we believe that an intensified variation on StoodUpForPaintingDate!Luke and WeddingBellBlues!Luke would be most effective. We would especially appreciate a sad “well, I guess you got what you always wanted, huh?”After this scene, however, we demand a story arc in which Luke realizes his own part in this mess and resolves to be both more open and more trusting.
We further demand an increase in Luke/April bonding scenes to counteract any L/C schmoopiness.
We most strongly oppose a Who’s the Daddy? Story; a L/C baby would be an immediate deal-breaker.
We are willing to wait for this story to run its course, and we recognize that the Showrunners have set up a story which cannot—and should not—be resolved in one easy episode. We most strenuously insist, however, that the L/C relationship be wrapped up by the mid-season break of 2006-2007. If the Showrunners must hold David Sutcliffe to his remaining contracted appearances, we are willing to see Christopher attendng Rory's graduation (it's the least he could do), phoning in to check on Rory, or attending Rory's engagement party and/or wedding.
When the L/C relationship does end, it must end because Lorelai has realized that she could not—and does not want to—be with Christopher on a long-term basis. If the relationship ends because of another screw-up or betrayal on Christopher’s part, the door will always be open for Lorelai to forgive and forget. This will not be acceptable. The end of the L/C relationship must be clear and unquestionable, for the characters and for the audience.
Finally, in return for enduring episodes of a relationship that is distasteful to us as viewers and contradicts show and character history, we demand that the story of Luke and Lorelai’s reconciliation be told with all the romance and heat that the Showrunners have often attempted to repress in its earlier incarnations. Said story should contain multiple scenes of physical and verbal affection, connoting sexual chemistry, abiding love, and deep friendship.
If these demands are met, we are willing so suspend disbelief, fight down nausea, and follow the story through to its end. If these demands are not met, we remind the Showrunners of what happened to the French aristocracy in 1789.